Visiting the Gardens at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons. Part 2

Raymond Blanc, talking about his beloved mother.

“She instilled values which I have stuck by throughout my career – fresh; local; and seasonal ingredients and made with the art of giving. We picked ours from the garden and they were all organic as they are here today at Le Manoir gardens. I did my apprenticeship as a gardener before becoming a cook!”

Last week in part one, we’d arrived in the carpark and taken a stroll down the infamous lavender path, having our first glimpse of the beautiful, honey coloured Manor House.

Made our way past the croquet lawn and guests sitting on the Orangerie terrace, drinking in the afternoon sunshine.

We’d walked all around the extensive vegetable garden, and now arrived back on the path lined with artichokes, that we were on a while ago.

The English Water Garden

Turning right we are confronted with a gorgeous vista of the 15^th century lily pond. The English Water Garden is fed by natural springs, and is half covered with pink flowering water lilies.

We can see the first of three sculptures, two swans in flight that seem to defy gravity.

They are by the very experienced sculpture Lloyd Le Blanc. We have already seen a lot of his work around the gardens and there is a lot more to come, including a second piece in this pond

A flock of 29 Terns captured in mid flight, look like they are hovering above the water.

In the background is an elderly looking lone swan, and it looks a bit sad. As swans tend to mate for life, I couldn’t help wondering if it had lost its partner.

At the other end of the pond is the latest sculpture here, the fabulous, oversized Dragonfly & Bulrush. It arrived in 2018 after sculpture Ian Gill produced a smaller version for Raymonds, Jardin Blanc restaurant which has now featured at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for six years.

You can see the house over the top of an incredibly impressive wall. Remember I am an amateur lady bricklayer and can’t help myself inspecting brickwork wherever I go!

The Japanese Water Garden

Moving off to our right, the foliage becomes denser and the path meanders round in two adjoining circles.

Initially the planting is quite loose, but then it becomes very ordered, and you realise you’ve entered the Japanese Water Garden.

Back in 2012 Robert Ketchell an expert in Japanese gardens, was called in to consult on the design.

Wandering around the curving paths you reach the unmistakable Japanese style oak bridge, which eventually leads to the Fugetsu-an Tea House.

At this point I have to confess, that despite appreciating the hard work that goes into every garden, Japanese gardens do nothing for me whatsoever. I find the perfectly cloud pruned trees, just too perfect. I prefer my gardens a bit more natural.

When I see those immaculately raked gravel gardens, I have this overwhelming urge to jump in and mess it all up! I’m sure Sigmund Freud would have some explanation…

Mamon Blanc Herb Garden

Heading back towards the pond, turning left past the vegetable garden. We are back on the artichoke lined path, carrying on past the opening leading back to Le Manoir, we reach the herb garden on our left.

The first thing you notice, is the touching tribute to Raymond’s much-loved mother ‘Maman Blanc’. A realistic statue of her sitting amongst the herbs.

Raymond’s latest book ‘Simply Raymond’, his first book to contain simple recipes, is inspired by and dedicated to his beloved mother, whom he sadly lost in 2020.

The herb garden is a very formal layout, with four main beds. As with most of the crops the herbs are labelled. Some describe what they best go with, and others tell you their medicinal properties.

Any garden that belongs to a cook needs to contain herbs, especially the soft herbs that don’t transport weel, like coriander and basil. There really is nothing like popping outside for your ingredients.

Our eye is drawn to the beautiful, purple flowers of Hyssopus officinalis, they are extremely attractive to bees and other pollinators. A classic Mediterranean herb, it’s commercially distilled for its aromatic oil, but more importantly in this garden, grown for its culinary use. It’s particular good with oily fish.

The Heritage Garden

Like Le Manoir I also grow some heritage varieties, but they have taken it a stage further.

It’s just a few steps from the herb garden into the heritage garden. It was designed by Anne Keenan and was created in 2014. I was going to say completed in 2014, but us gardeners know, a garden is never complete!

The garden is used to grow and show off heritage vegetables. Also, to educate people about the principles of organic gardening, sustainability and heritage foods.

Raymond is passionate about preserving these old varieties to safeguard diversity of our foods. But just as importantly it gives you much more choice in the kitchen.

Remember that variety of beetroot, in part one that I started growing through Raymonds recommendation, ‘Chioggia’. Well, that is an Italian heirloom variety, first written about in the 1840’s and grown here.

The first thing you see as you step into the garden, is a super dooper greenhouse! Now I am lucky enough to have a fabulous greenhouse, but this is old style Victoria glasshouse, and it’s in a different league. Obviously far too big for your average garden, but enough to make any gardener go weak at the knees.

The Hartley Botanic glasshouse, to give it its proper title, is where Raymonds gardening school is run from. If only school had been that good when I was there…

In front of the glasshouse is a rotunda, a circle, bordered by four curving dry stone wall benches. A lovely place to sit and study or relax.

There is still some colour coming from pink sedums, and some dramatic dark red dahlias.

As someone in their first year of dahlia growing, I’m going to stick my neck out and say it’s a waterlily type.

There is a plaque on a pot, telling of the importance of water in a garden for wildlife. Well, I’m always banging on about this!

The wonderfully decorative chestnut and willow growing screens, remind me the art nouveau movement, very curvaceous. Apparently, they are for growing summer squash to grow up, including the long unusual looking ‘Tromboncino’. Unfortunately, they have finished now, and the bed was cleared.

Rhubarb grows down the side path, and the rhubarb forcers are scattered around.

We find another curvaceous seating area that has been made with a bit of recycling. It has been constructed using some of the many champagne bottles drank by happy clientele.

So, as we enjoy a little rest on the bench, we can already see where we are going next. I wonder what’s growing in Raymonds polytunnels.

Join me next week for the final wander around Le Manoir; the polytunnels; the compost heap; the orchard; Chris Beardshaws’ wildflower meadow; and finally, the food!

Stay safe & happy gardening.